Coal-dust eliminator



Aug.

E. BALL ET AL COAL DUST ELIMINATOR Filed Jan. 17, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IINV TOR Eda/in a//.

WTM

Patented Aug. 5, 1924.

NT @FFIWE.

EDWIN BALL AND JAMES M. MGHUGH, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

COAL-DUST ELIMINATOR.

Application filed January 17, 1923. Serial No. 613,276.

i To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWIN BALL and JAMES M. MGHUGH, citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, of Birmingham, Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coal-Dust Eliminators, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates machinery.

One object of this invention is to provide improved means to eliminate the danger of generally to mining finely pulverized coal dust being suspended in the air and deposited over the entire mine.

Another object is to increase the efficiency of coal cutting machines by affording a cleaner cutting face. and reducing the temperature of the cutting teeth.

Heretofore, when mining coal with a cutting machine, it has been customary to 0p erate the machine against a dry face and after finishing a cut to remove the fine dry cuttings from the working place before shooting the coal. By such method much fine coal dust is left suspended in the air and it slowly settles over the entire mine thus rendering the mine unsafe from the danger of coal dust explosion. By the use of our improved method and apparatus the danger of fine coal dust suspended. in the air and deposited over a wide surface is eliminated. The time lost in loading the dust and cuttings before shooting the coal at the face is eliminated, a lower temperature of the out ting teeth is maintained thus decreasing dulling the teeth and the necessity of changing them, greater speed of operation is afforded by a cleaner cutting face and much better ventilation of the working place is possible.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan of a portion of a mine showing a coal cutting machinin working position;

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 on a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a detail section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the cutter chain and a jet of water playing on the surface of the deposit being cut;

Fig. 4 1s a lan showing a coal cutting machine providbd with a plurality of spray nozzles.

Referring to the drawings 8 is a coal cutting machine having a cutter bar 10, and cutting chain 12 provided with teeth 14. A water connection 16 hose I8, and a stream of water under pressure passes through a pipe 20 to a nozzle 22 and discharges in a jet or spray 24, between the moving teeth 14 againstthe cutting face 26 of the coal deposit 28 at the is attached to a flexible point where the cutting teeth begin cutting coal. The application of water at this point enables the moving chain and cutting teeth to carry this water the entire length of the face being out, for example from points 30 to 32 in Fig. 1 thus thoroughly mixing the avater with the machine cuttings and coal ust.

By our improved method the machine 8 is advanced to the Working face and a cut 34 ismade to a given depth by means of the revolving chain. When the required longitudinal depth is reached the machine is moved transversely along the entire face thus undercutting the coal 28 as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

During ,the entire cutting operation the spray or jet of water 24 under pressure is directed against the cutting face 26, thus wetting the cuttings and dust a3, cleaning the cutting face 26 and cooling the teeth 14 of the cutter chain. When desirable a number of nozzles 22 and connections may be placed on the water pipe 20 as shown in Fig. 4, thus allowing a number of sprays or jets to be used against any portion of the cutting face 26.

By utilizing our invention the wet cuttin s d may be loaded with the coal after it is shot, thus eliminating the expensive removal of the dry cuttings and dust before shooting. Heretofore it has been compulsory to remove all dry machine cuttings from the working place by loading-into tram cars before shooting, due to the dan er of the shooting agitating this dust so that itwas disseminated throughout the mine.

Various known types of mining machines canbe used and the water can be su lied to the working face in various ways w t out departing from our invention as defined in the appended-claims and the drawings and description are to be interpreted in an illustrative rather'than a limiting sense.

What we claimis:

1. The combination with a cutting machine having a power driven cutter chain and a guide bar therefor, of a water discharge nozzle located in a plane between the upper and lower faces of said bar so that its operation will not be interrupted by material fallin on the cutter bar.

2., The combination with a cutting machine having a power driven cutter chain provided with an upper and a lower set of outwardly diverging teeth, an-elongated U- shaped guide for said cutter chain and means located below the top of and between the sides of said U-shaped guide for -dis- 10 charging a jet of water between said diverging teeth.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto signed our names. 

